A university undergraduate and the primary suspect in the murder case of Super TV CEO Michael Usifo Ataga, Chidinma Ojukwu, testified today before the Lagos High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square, narrating how she found his lifeless body in a short-let apartment in Lekki on June 15, 2021.
Ojukwu, a former 300-level mass communication student at the University of Lagos, began her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.
She told the court that she had returned to the apartment after buying food and drinks. Upon knocking and receiving no answer, she pushed the door open and discovered blood on the floor, with Ataga lying motionless in a pool of blood.
“I dropped everything and ran to him,” she said, noting that his eyes were partially open and there was no pulse.
While being led in evidence by her counsel, Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma shared details about her relationship with Ataga, which she said started in November 2020.
She said they met through a mutual friend, Fiyin, who was dating Ataga’s friend, James. She described Ataga as generous and supportive, claiming he paid her tuition and assisted her financially in her cosmetics business.
According to Chidinma, Ataga told her he was from Edo State, lived in Victoria Garden City (VGC), worked in media, and had three children with his estranged wife, who lived in Abuja.
She testified that on June 13, 2021, Ataga called to invite her to spend time with him in celebration of his upcoming birthday before he traveled to Abuja for a family event. Due to renovations at his home in VGC, he suggested they find a place to stay in Lekki, where he often held meetings.
Chidinma said she secured a short-let apartment at 19 Adewale Street, off Ologolo Road in Lekki, which Ataga approved. They met there that evening, had dinner at Angle Villa restaurant, bought wine, and returned to the apartment to eat, drink, and smoke.
On June 14, she said they slept in and later that day, Ataga asked her to get some loud (a slang term for cannabis) and rohypnol, sending her ₦15,000 for the purchase. He later sent her another ₦25,000 for food. She said she was away for about two hours due to COVID-related delays in food service.
The next day, June 15, Ataga again requested loud but asked her to pay since he was unable to transfer money. He also gave her money for food and juice. When she couldn’t reach him to clarify the type of okra soup he wanted, she returned to the apartment, only to find him dead.
“I saw blood stains, pushed the door, and found Michael on the floor in a pool of blood. I checked for a pulse—there was none,” she told the court.
In a state of panic, Chidinma said she cleaned blood off herself, changed clothes, and packed her belongings, including a brown envelope containing Ataga’s bank statements, ID cards, and documents belonging to one Mary Johnson. She also took some of his jewellery before leaving the apartment in a cab.
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to April 28, 2025, for the continuation of Chidinma’s testimony and the trial proceedings.
